A heaping helping of utter BS regarding Afghanistan.

[laststeamtrain]

TAPPER: Can you elaborate on what specifically has been accomplished here?

GIBBS: Well again I think, I think we are making progress in the security environment understanding that it is still an exceedingly dangerous place. We have benchmarks to measure progress. And, Jake, we will continue, continually review the policy in order to make a determination that we’re seeing the progress the president wants in destroying and defeating the enemy there.

TAPPER: Are the Afghans meeting the benchmarks?

GIBBS: We’re satisfied with the progress they are making. We also understand much as was the case in Iraq and I think you’ve seen this as a big focus in what General McChrystal is doing both now and planning for in the future and that is to strengthen and fortify the Afghan security forces. Much like Iraq, we cannot, we cannot be there forever. Afghans are going to have to provide a measure of their own security much as we asking Iraqis to do and what they’re doing in their own country. There’s no doubt that for a long time the President believed we did not have the manpower and the resources that were needed to make progress and we’re certainly hopeful that we’re on track for doing more of that.

<more>

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/07/todays-qs-for-os-wh-7312009.html

[aquart]

1. 65% unemployment in Afghanistan.

There ain't no security as long as there's that.

[laststeamtrain]

2. I've never thought of fighting foreign invaders as a 'jobs' program.

Kind of a make-work thing. With population control built-in.

One way or another we're going to help those damn people.

[aquart]

5. We're the foreign invaders. That's still true, right?

[Lagomorph]

3. I give Afghanistan a zero percent chance of...

creating work for their people. They don't have the resources and are poorly placed to involve themselves in international trade much beyond their own borders.

They'll never be a modern country. Doesn't mean they have to starve, though. They could probably be a food exporter if they could put their efforts in food rather than poppies.

[aquart]

6. Aside from the lapis, emeralds, and poppies?

[Truth Talks]

4. Benchmarks?

As a former teacher, I'd like to shove benchmarks up someone's ass. Why is that benchmarks and accountability are applied to teachers but not to the thugs who exploit schools, chiefly Bill Gates?

Similarly, why are Afghanis being forced to jump through hoops by a bunch of corporate asswipes who will never be benchmarked a day in their lives?